Royal Guard
The Royal Guard is a unit within the Royal Army and an enemy faction in Far Cry 4. They are based in Kyrat and are led by Pagan Min and Yuma Lau. They can be found patrolling the North and Himalayas. Compared to the Royal Army they are much better trained and can withstand more damage before dying. They also make use of better weaponry and vehicles and are more vicious and bloodthirsty than their normal counterparts. Background Originally a Triad empire in Hong Kong, they came to Kyrat alongside Pagan Min and Yuma during the Kyrati Civil War and allied themselves with the Royalists in their struggle. After they stormed the palace by force, they killed the distant heir to the throne and betrayed everyone, successfully making a power grab. They are tasked with guarding key or sensitive locations in Kyrat, such as Pagan, Yuma and Noore's fortresses, the gate to north Kyrat and Durgesh while some are stationed in Shanath Arena as part of the challenge itself. Most recently however, they've been participating in mining operations and archaeological digs in search of the mythical Shangri-La thangkas in hopes of learning it's secrets. Units In addition to the mentioned units, the Royal Army has an elite branch called the Royal Guard, which protect sensitive locations in Kyrat, usually in the northern territory. They also guard Pagan Min's palace. The Royal Guard are made up of fewer units than the regular Royal Army, but possess greater firepower, armor, and have superior training. ▪ Royal Guard Assaulter: They wield P416 assault rifles, allowing them better accuracy and damage than regular Assaulters, and ultimately keep the player pinned down in a certain location for a longer time (due to the high fire rate). They are also slightly more durable, able to take 1 or 2 more shots than a regular Assaulter. ▪ Royal Guard Charge'''r: These enemies wield the BZ19 sub machine gun, allowing them to fight from a greater distance than Berserkers. They are still just as aggressive though, and will charge the player without seeking cover. Like Army Berserkers, they should be taken out before they can reach close range. A charger can dodge some gunfire by rolling and will rush the player by throwing a smoke grenade to hide his movements. ▪ '''Royal Guard Defender: These are the toughest non-Heavy units in the game in terms of durability, able to take around 8-10 shots from an Assault Rifle. Headshots still kill them in one hit, however, meaning that they are the best way to dispatch these tough units. Like the Royal Guard Assaulter, they use the P416, allowing them greater accuracy and firepower than their regular counterparts. ▪ Royal Guard Heavy Flamer: Heavily armored units wielding flamethrowers. They are incredibly dangerous at close range, setting the player and everything around them on fire. They are still vulnerable to headshots, however. Shooting them enough times in the head will cause them to lean over in pain, allowing you to easily finish them off with a continued barrage. They also have another key weak spot, however, in the tank on their backs. Shooting the tank will cause it to detonate, killing the Flamer and setting everything around the explosion on fire. Like the Heavy Gunners, they are slow, and the player can sneak behind them and shoot the tank or kill them with a knife. They are arguably the most dangerous enemy in the game. ▪ Royal Guard Heavy Gunner: The most powerful enemy in Far Cry 4. They wield a heavy LMG, which deals a tremendous amount of damage. They are extremely durable and able to soak up several magazines of assault rifle rounds before collapsing. There are several ways to take them out, however. Setting them on fire will deal a large amount of damage to them, meaning that any fire based weapon is effective. Maintaining a distance and shooting them with a sniper rifle is also effective, although being hit with LMG fire can throw off your aim. A daring but effective method of taking them out is to pull out an LMG, get into close range, and unload on their heads. If pulled off, they will quickly die to the burst of fire. If you have a rocket launcher or a grenade launcher (preferably the GLA-87), you can kill them with a couple of grenade launcher rounds or rockets. As with regular Heavy Gunners, the Heavy Beatdown skill can allow you to kill them with a takedown. ▪ Royal Guard Rocket: They are more durable than regular Rocket soldiers, but are overall not much different. Eliminate at long range, kill them with a knife, or fight them with an explosive weapon of your own. ▪ Royal Guard Sniper: Their sniper rifles deal higher damage and fire quicker than regular Snipers, making them highly dangerous. Like regular Snipers, going into close range with them will force them to switch to a sidearm. Use the same tactics to deal with them as regular snipers, but know that there is less room for error. ▪ Royal Guard Hunter: They have some armor unlike regular hunters making them somewhat tougher to kill. They use recurve bows and are more accurate then army hunters. Like army Hunters, they also use whistles to communicate and can also charm animals. ▪ Snow Operative: The Snow Operatives are almost identical to regular Royal Guard units, except they are encountered in snow-filled regions, such as the Himalayas. They also have a different appearance, wearing white camouflaged uniforms and large, hooded jackets with a fur lining. Trivia *Several of their lieutenants are actually undercover CIA assets installed by Willis to spy on Pagan Min and his drug trafficking operation. * Some of its soldiers refused to follow Pagan's order to purge the Royalists and instead fled with them, together with the remaining survivors they went on to form the Golden Path. * Besides speaking in English, the Royal Guard also speak in a Chinese Dialect, Cantonese. This may be evident that they originate from Hong Kong, where the dialect is commonly used. When alarmed, they scold the player Cantonese expletives. When speaking in English, they bear a slight Cantonese accent, common of English-speaking Hong Kongers. ** Despite all having Cantonese accents, some Royal Army soldiers will talk about perhaps one day being introduced into the Royal Guard, suggesting that at least a handfull of Royal Guards are Royal Army members who have been shown to be very skilled in battle. ** Royal Guard Snipers have all of their natural teeth replaced with golden teeth. ** Some villagers can be overheard complaining about the Royal Guard. In some ways, the people prefer the Royal Army, because "at least they're from Kyrat." This would imply that at least some members of the Royal Guard are from elsewhere, possibly Pagan's men from his days as a gangster in China. * The Royal Guard also use body armor, but most enemies can still be killed with 1 headshot. *Golden Path Rebels often lose firefights against the Royal Guard, this is likely due to the Royal Guard being able to take more damage and having superior weaponry, such as the P416 assault rifle. *They can be compared to The Privateers from Far Cry 3, by Weapons, Types/Units and the way they are Fighting. Quotes When the Royal Guard soldiers are casual, they can be heard saying various things like: * I've been in Kyrat so long, I don't know where my real home is anymore. * Did you say something? * The rebels brought this war on themselves. * I hear you. * Something I ate isn't sitting well. (cough) * The rebels deserve their faith. * Where's some cloud cover when you need it. * I bet that still wakes you up at night. * King Min is the beginning and the end. Gallery Guard Assaulter.jpg|Guard Assaulter Guard Charger.jpg|Guard Charger Guard Defender.jpg|Guard Defender Guard Heavy Flamer.jpg|Guard Heavy Flamer Guard Heavy.jpg|Guard Heavy Guard Rocket.jpg|Guard Rocket Guard Sniper.jpg|Guard Sniper Guard Snow Assaulter.jpg|Snow Guard Assaulter (All snow enemies use the same model) Category:Far Cry 4 Factions Category:Enemies